Overcoming barriers to Baby-Friendly status: one hospital's experience

Abstract

The journey toward Baby-Friendly status at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ began with a desire to improve overall breastfeeding rates at the hospital. Although evidence showed that hospitals that incorporated some or all of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding had improved breastfeeding rates, it was difficult to overcome barriers that prevented the hospital physicians and nursing staff from seeing the value in adopting this quality initiative. Long-standing practices combined with misinformation compounded the problem. That situation changed when several factors nationally and statewide came together to create a prime environment for implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. This article will discuss the barriers that one hospital encountered and the strategies used to overcome these common barriers to achieving Baby-Friendly status. This hospital is not yet designated as Baby-Friendly but is awaiting the outcome of a site visit in 2012.